Kansas fire departments responded to nearly 6,000 vegetation-related fires that resulted in more than $4.8 million in property loss in 2015 alone, according to the Kansas Department of Emergency Management.

“Any one of us can cause a wildfire without realizing it,” Redmond said, noting that cigarette butts, car exhaust and burning trash are among some of the most common ways wildfires can start. When ignition sources like that come into contact with dried grass, brush, leaves and other materials that are easy to ignite, the chances of a fire are even greater. There may also be a correlation with the time some landowners are doing planned or prescribed burns on their property, to reduce brush and tree growth and encourage native plant growth.

Redmond analyzed data from the first 11 years (2004-2014) the Kansas Fire Incident Reporting System has been keeping records on wildfires and other types of fires. His work showed that a record 8,075 wildfires were reported in 2014. The land area burned, 187,000 acres, was also a record high. In both land area and number, fires followed the typical curve of the previous 10 years, with a peak during the spring months of March and April.

The spring wildfire trend coincides with the time of year prescribed burning occurs in parts of Kansas, Redmond said. Early spring is typically characterized by dead or cured fuels (wood and brush), warming temperatures, low relative humidity and little precipitation.

“Often, if the late fall and winter are below normal in precipitation or the region is in a drought, these spring conditions are enhanced, providing explosive conditions for fire growth, which is what happened in 2014,” he said.

Most of the fires in 2014 did not occur on days that the National Weather Service deemed Red Flag Warning days. RFWs are triggered by the combination of fuels that are cured or dead, winds forecast at greater than 15 miles per hour and relative humidity at less than 20 percent – all for three or more hours.

“With the majority of fires and acreage burned occurring on non-RFW days (in 2014), additional research is required to evaluate why these fires are happening,” Redmond said. It may indicate the need for better thoroughness of reporting cause, size and circumstance of each wildfire; higher resolution of weather data; social aspects of prescribed burning; or the evaluation of the lack of fires on RFW days.

Kansas State University and K-State Research and Extension are part of the Kansas Interagency Wildfire Council, a coalition of state and federal agencies with the goal of providing an integrated approach to fire management.

Eighty-two percent of the firefighters in Kansas volunteer their time and energy to suppress wildland fire.

The majority of wildland fires will result from human activities.

Preparation is crucial in preventing the loss of life and property from wildfires, and every Kansas citizen shares this responsibility.

Because protection measures such as defensible space around homes and communities, use of fire-resistant building materials, and adequate road access can help protect homes and communities, the public should exercise safe, responsible behavior when conducting outdoor burning, refrain from dangerous and unlawful use of fireworks, and report all suspicious fire and smoke.

– Source: State of Kansas Proclamation by the Governor, signed Jan. 21, 2016

Sidebar:Wildfire Awareness Week: Heed Red Flag Warnings

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas typically experiences more wildfires during the spring than any other time of year, according to Mary Knapp, assistant climatologist with the Kansas Weather Data Library at Kansas State University.

“Any spark has the potential to create a devastating fire any time but especially in certain conditions,” Knapp said.

Sometimes, the National Weather Service issues a Red Flag Warning, she said, adding that although such warnings are more common in forested areas of the western United States, they have increasingly been issued in Kansas and other Plains states as a way to alert people of critical fire danger.

The warnings are triggered during or just before expected periods of high winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures, which can create an atmosphere with explosive fire growth potential.

K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan.